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Charles Dabo

Achbo7's picture
Neighborhood: Portola
Group Affiliation: FrameArt Studio
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I have lived in the Portola District for over 25 years. Portola, also known as the Garden District, with its rich historic background, sunny microclimate, and fertile soil, has provided me with a sense of place. I am fortunate enough to be able to garden in my backyard when I am not painting. I feel grounded when working with the dirt, with my hands deep in the dark soil. The unexpected therapeutic nature of this activity allows me to process thoughts I have about the impact of past and current social events that have shocking connections to History. Since History tends to repeat itself more often than expected, artists in West Africa have developed, over many centuries, Art forms that synthesize aspects of collective experiences. I grew up in Senegal, West Africa, with a similar approach to creating Art, prompted by topics, or themes that impact us collectively. Like many West African Artists before me, I am inspired by metaphors found in traditional African wisdom. I depict animals and familiar objects in a stylized form combining organic shapes with geometric forms to create dynamic compositions. At times, I simply stylize objects and places with an emphasis on tone, or mood as shown in my recent paintings.